


Travelling with Regret

by Ethersound



Category: Hunger Games Series - All Media Types, Hunger Games Trilogy - Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Betrayal, F/M, not everything is as it seems
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-12
Updated: 2018-05-09
Packaged: 2019-01-16 14:53:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,425
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12344901
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ethersound/pseuds/Ethersound
Summary: BEY is the airport code for Beirut





	1. Travelling with Regret (BEY)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> BEY is the airport code for Beirut

Katniss was exhausted. She knew she couldn't take another business trip. The only reason she happened to be in Beirut right now was because her assistant Bristel had accepted the invitation on her behalf whilst she was on vacation. 

She muttered under her breath mimicking both her boss and her assistant "You have to take some time off Katniss, truly disconnect from work and take care of yourself!" 

It's not that she regretted her vacation, not in the least. She had so much leave left over from all her extra hours that she wasn't quite sure what to do with it. Luckily, Prim had had the great idea for them to travel through Scotland and they had also relaxed in the south of England. The problem now was that by not controlling what was happening at work during that time, Bristel had accepted the invitation because it didn't clash with anything on the calendar, and she was now waiting for her luggage at Rafic Hariri International Airport getting ready for a policy meeting. She understood it was her fault for not warning Bristel, but to be fair, she hadn't expected them to invite her again. 

She stayed silent at their meetings and contributed nothing, afraid of saying the wrong thing and making the company look bad. They probably thought she was an idiot but she was sure they just wanted to tick off 'non-white woman' on their diversity checklist so they could pat themselves on the back for being so inclusive. Katniss found herself enraged at the thought. She was good at her actual job, very good in fact. But there just wasn't enough staff at her company and people were being spread thin, even in areas where they had little expertise. She just didn't understand why Effie put her in charge of stakeholder engagement. She despised talking to people for no reason and she had no idea about Middle East enterprise policy. Her mentor Gale would have been a better option, but he was in Dubai trying to wrangle investments. She would have to email him for help on appropriate talking points. 

She sighed as she continued waiting in the terminal. It had been a long layover in Istanbul and she thanked her stars she had had to foresight to do her laundry before her trip to Uzbekistan a few days before. After that trip, she had had just enough time to go home, pack her suitcase and dash to the airport to catch her flight to Beirut. 

It was currently close to midnight and her irritation was starting to bubble to the surface. She knew she should have only taken hand luggage but being allowed to only carry a tiny plastic bag for all her liquids swayed her decision. She was very picky about her shampoo and body wash. However, she was starting to regret that decision as soon as the baggage carousel stopped and nothing else came out. The airline had lost her luggage and her meeting was in 8 hours. 

Yes, the life of a high-flying career woman was truly glorious.


	2. An unexpected encounter (BEY)

Although she was annoyed, Katniss knew it wasn't the customer service guy's fault, so she tried to curb her growing irritation as she filed her lost luggage complaint. She was mostly irritated with herself however. She usually had a change of underwear and clothes when she travelled, since losing her luggage through another airport last year. 

"You should have known better Katniss", she muttered to herself, now worried about how bad she would smell at this meeting without a change of clothing. She walked out of the arrivals gate, not seeing her name immediately on any of the signs but doubled back and enthusiastically waved at the driver who curtly but very kindly told her "Five minutes. Two more people". Shrugging, she found a spot to sit down and started checking her emails. After about 20 minutes, the driver returned and said "We go now Miss Everdeen", but glanced around her in confusion. "Bag?", he said, obviously referring to her luggage. "They lost it", Katniss said, and pointing to her handbag "This is all I have". 

He looks at her sympathetically and points to another guy she hadn't noticed before. The guy introduces himself and smiles as he says "I am Thom Ziad, I guess we are in the same boat. They lost my luggage too". He was a nice-looking man, but Katniss can't help thinking he smells terrible, hoping she herself still smells ok after her 12 -hour journey. She tries to keep in mind what Prim had told her, about being too lonely and to use her trips as an opportunity to meet men. She casts a furtive glance at his fingers and sees no wedding ring. She smiles encouragingly and says "Well, it's OK, it could be worse." There. She has engaged pleasantly with another person in a social setting. Prim couldn't fault her now. 

They pile into the van after following the driver through the parking lot and when Katniss looks up from her phone, she realizes there two other guys in the van aside from Thom. She greets everyone and exchanges some pleasantries. Turning her head towards the back of the van, she is struck by the most vivid pair of blue eyes staring back at her. "Hello, my name is Peeta". "Katniss". She curses herself as she realizes she has no makeup on, but thankfully, the darkness will hide any blemishes. 

She can't help being drawn to him, but she keeps her mouth shut to avoid rambling like an idiot, which she has been known to do. Awkward, incapable of holding a social conversation, with the charm of a dead slug. She recalls her many conversations with her rude uncle Haymitch and for some reason, she doesn't want to look like a fool in front of this Peeta, so she starts conversing with Thom who tells her "Please, call me Ziad". 

Ziad, she finds out, is originally from Syria and wants to attend this meeting to highlight the situation in his country. "People know Syria only as this country at war, but it wasn't always like that. Right now we are scattered around, waiting for our real lives to begin again. I had a good life before, you know? We are just in limbo right now." He looks at her sadly and she is lost for words. "You are doing a great job Ziad, trying to help your country," she says. He smiles and says "What else can I do? It is my country." 

The conversation lulls and after a while Ziad starts speaking in Arabic to the driver and the other man up front, who never told her his name. Or she forgot, but she doesn't entirely care. 

Katniss can't help it and turns her head back to see if this Peeta is as handsome as she thought he was. He is. He peeks up at her through his elegantly framed glasses as she ducks her head slightly and scrambles for something to say. "So, do you know long it takes to get to the hotel? I forgot to read the information note." Good, a neutral topic of conversation, but why does he seem so taken aback? He hesitates for a few moments and Ziad good naturedly turns to her as says "About one hour". She hadn't realized he was paying attention to her conversation with Peeta but she smiles back at him anyway. 

She misses the annoyed look Peeta gives Ziad when she turns her head away.


	3. I am so happy to meet you (BEY)

After that initial awkward conversation starter, Katniss finds herself speaking easily to Peeta. She finds out that he is based in Singapore, but works around Asia and the Middle East region from time to time. They seem to be in a similar field of work, corporate business, a welcome change from the hippy tree huggers who went straight from college to a desk job in the development sector, thinking they have any idea about the real needs of small and medium enterprises.

Her neck starts to hurt a bit from turning her head to speak to him behind her. She also finds herself giggling at his stories, which she never does with anyone except Prim, and catches herself. She doesn’t want to appear too eager to speak with him so she turns her head abruptly and looks out of the window to the dark landscape beyond. All is quiet aside from Ziad's animated discussions with the driver and their other companion. Katniss still doesn't care enough to find out his name, she is too focused on appearing cool and collected.

Immediately she is annoyed at herself. Why is she fawning over this Peeta guy anyway? He is probably not interested and was just being polite because he is sitting alone at the back. He probably just wants to feel included and network, not make small talk with her. She is too weird, too awkward, and she probably smells after her trip. What could he possibly want with her? She probably sounds desperate talking to him and everyone in the van is probably embarrassed for her. She decides to ignore him for the rest of the drive.

Suddenly the driver starts stopping at the side of the road and Katniss immediately panics. It’s almost 2am in a foreign country and she has no idea what is going on. She looks to Ziad for an explanation, who smiles, nods towards the still nameless guy and says "He wants to get a bottle of water from his suitcase in the back". She bites back her first retort, which would have been ‘why the fuck do we have to stop at the side of the road for this? Can’t he fucking wait for half an hour?’ Instead she nods politely, pretending it is a reasonable explanation for a random stop on the road. 

Curious about his reaction, she looks to Peeta who shrugs his shoulders, then gives her an intense stare and shy smile that she ducks her head to avoid. Who does he think he is smirking at her like that? He’s probably just thinking she would be an easy lay. Humiliated, she sticks to her plan and turns her back on him again.

Soon, they continue their drive to hotel but about 20 minutes later, the driver stops the van abruptly at an isolated store. Wary of another water stop, she hesitates as her companions start filing out. "Come on! We can get some supplies" says Ziad charmingly, getting out of the van and holding out his hand for her to clamber down. Not questioning the open store at 2am in the middle of nowhere, she takes his hand and hops down, noting movement behind her that lets her know that Peeta is also getting out. Katniss decides to stroll calmly towards the store without looking back, as if she couldn't care less if he came with them or not.

Her demeanor is immediately forgotten when she spies toiletries and snacks and she trots excitedly down the aisles, trying to make a mental list of what she needs. First, deodorant. She doesn’t recognize any of the local brands but chooses one with a white flower design that she hopes smells fresh and not cloying, chuckling at the name. She doesn’t want to stray too far from her group, aware that she is a foreign woman, the only one around at that. She had noticed the group of young men sitting in a circle at the entrance playing cards who had eyed her leeringly as she entered. She had obviously ignored them, glad she was surrounded by guys who were noticeably in her company. Taking a quick look around the store, she sees it is unfortunately too small to stock any clothing. She passes a shelf with toothpaste that she hesitates at it but doesn’t want to seem silly for not packing toothpaste in her carry-on luggage. She has mouthwash which she’ll make do with until tomorrow afternoon. Just below the shelf is a pack of shaving sticks, which she needs but ignores. She doesn’t want the rest of the guys to see her buying them and thinking about what she needs them for. She grabs a bottle of water and heads to the register where everyone is already paying.

Luckily, she had taken out some local currency at the ATM machine at the airport and she hopes it’s enough. As she waits her turn, she realizes she is just beside Peeta, who is buying a big bottle of water. He looks at her then, and she curses, remembering the bright overhead light which is exposing all the flaws on her skin. She expects him to do a double take and look away casually at how unattractive she looks. Instead he looks at her silently for a beat and smiles brightly, eyes twinkling. She can’t help smiling back immediately. His face is beautiful when he smiles. He turns to pay and she can’t help it and bursts out “Look at the name on this deodorant! It’s called Everything is Blessed!” He looks a bit confused at her outburst, but manages to give a polite chuckle, looks back at her and smiles again.

He waits for her as she pays and walks with her back to the van. Katniss’ traitorous heart melts.


	4. Let's meet up for a drink (BEY)

In the short walk back to the van, they have managed to regain their earlier ease and Katniss feels a lot more confident than she initially did. She doesn't feel so tense and she can tell he likes her, which relaxes her a little more. 

By the time they reach the hotel, she is exhausted and can barely take in the five-star décor or the friendly service. After so many weeks of travelling for work, she doesn't know how she is actually awake and somehow manages to suppresses the flash of annoyance that her company refuses to pay for business class, which has been fueling her exhaustion with back to back meetings. Her pay is not great but she likes her job, she gets to travel the world and she has a permanent contract. She remembers her awful six years in a hostile corporate environment and squares her shoulders in appreciation and confidence. She has worked hard for this. 

Stepping forward to the front desk first, she does so knowing it is important to assert yourself if you want to be respected in this business (and frankly she is just too tired to be polite). As she starts the check-in procedure however, she can't help thinking that the money used for this conference could have been more effectively utilized for the migration and security issues in the region. She could bring it up in the meeting but she has a feeling it would not be appreciated by the organizers and it wouldn't really change anything. 

She thanks the front desk when she leaves, but doesn't say anything to the others, getting the impression that they are just as tired as she. After taking a shower and flopping into bed, she can't help thinking what a beautiful room she is in and how she can get Peeta's bearded face between her legs. 

The next morning, of course, she's late. She is the only representative from her sector and she is late. By almost an hour too. She has missed breakfast and her mind is a puddle but she hasn't slept so well in weeks and finds it difficult to even feel guilty for her tardiness. Attempting to settle in quietly, she sees one of the organizers pointedly looking at his watch and giving her a judgmental frown. She pretends she doesn't see him and tries to catch up and listen in. It is only much later that she realizes that she is sitting right behind Peeta, who is whispering to the brunette next to him that she recognizes from several meetings together. 

During the coffee break she makes the acquaintance of a very friendly man who has just been posted to Beirut from Kabul. Seneca, as he introduces himself, regales her with funny stories and she can't help thinking how relaxed she feels. Having a good sleep and managing to make small talk with someone with no awkwardness feels like a triumph. 

After the conference ends for the day, Katniss discovers that her luggage has still not arrived. There is nothing for it, she has to find someone to take her to town. It's foolhardy, she knows but she needs to talk a walk in the fresh air, determined to find a clothes store as soon as possible. She manages to find someone in at a nearby mall, which unfortunately only stocks mostly knickknacks, sea salts and swimwear. A friendly store manager is able to find her a reliable driver and she heads to the center of Beirut. 

A few hours later and laden with several shopping bags (might as well take the opportunity to upgrade her wardrobe) she strolls triumphantly back to the hotel smiling at the staff. 

"You found something Miss Everdeen?" The floor manager asks, well informed of her luggage-less situation. 

"Yes, I did, thank you Nassim for your help", she tells him, happy he was able to talk to the airline customer service and yell at them on her behalf. 

She catches a glimpse of Seneca in the lobby and he waves her over. She hesitates, much preferring to go to her room to catch a nap but realizes how starved she is for someone to talk to. 

"Hello Katniss, what's all this?", he asks as she heads over. 

"Well I still don't have my luggage so I needed to get a few things", she answers 

"Sorry to hear that, losing luggage is so annoying", he replies. 

Giving a non-committal shrug, she eventually says to him "Yeah, really annoying. Well, nice talking to you Seneca. I'll see you later". 

As she is turning to leave, he asks her "Katniss, can want to meet up for a drink later? It would be nice to continue this afternoon's chat". 

After a quick moment of considerations, she says "That would be great Seneca, let me just shower and change". 

"Take your time. I will be right here waiting" he says. 

Feeling refreshed from a shower with the sea salt soap she bought, Katniss dresses in a new white top and jeans, heading back to meet up with Seneca. He seems to start when he sees her, saying nothing for a moment until he stands up for her, smiles and says "You look really nice Katniss". 

"Thank you", she replies a little shyly. 

He is not bad, if a bit round in the belly she observes as she glances at him over the drinks menu. She doesn't mind and she usually likes heavy set men anyway. Ordering her standard gin and tonic, he orders a whiskey she has never heard of and she sympathizes with the waitress who struggles to understand what he ordered in his rather heavy French accent. 

After a while, she unfortunately finds out that Seneca is as dull as dishwater, his earlier charm not able to withstand more than ten minutes of scrutiny. He has also started to make her uncomfortable with the looks he thinks he is subtly giving her. Why does this always happen? She tries to network and guys just end up leering at her. Bored to tears by a rehashing of what he once did in his gym class years ago, she pretends to contemplate whatever he just said as she stares out the window. She sees Peeta sitting out on the terrace with other young colleagues while she seethes at herself for deciding to have a chat with a slightly lecherous middle-aged man, wishing she was out there. Her wish is granted when Seneca proposes to have another drink outside in the cooling evening. She vacillates between not struggling to yawn at his stories and the chance to maybe be able to see what fun the others are laughing about. She decides to stay and is terrifically disappointed that Seneca leads them to another table further away. As they pass by, she sees Peeta look up, his gaze flitting between her, her new clothes and Seneca. Katniss doesn't know how to explain that it is not what he thinks and sits down with Seneca, nursing her drink with a slight sigh. 

Unbeknownst to her, Peeta keeps sending slightly aggressive looks to their table for the remainder of the evening.


End file.
